In conventional techniques, authentication using a user ID and a password is generally performed when launching an operating system or when connecting to a network for improving security.
On the other hand, Japanese Laid-Open Patent application No. 11-301058 discloses a printing system including a user authentication printing function for specifying a user who is permitted to use a printing function of an image forming apparatus by adding user authentication information such as a user ID to print data from a printer driver. In such printing system, printing can be executed when the user authentication information that is added to the print data when printing is started agrees with user authentication information that is entered into the image forming apparatus after the print data is sent to the image forming apparatus.
However, according to such a conventional apparatus, although the user can freely specify a user ID and a password, since the user needs to enter the user ID and the password every time when printing is necessary, it is burdensome for the user.
The image forming apparatus can record information of user IDs as a printing history. But, since one user may use a plurality of user IDs, the history is recorded as though a plurality of users printed copies although only one user printed the copies actually.
The present invention is contrived in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide techniques that can enable users to use a user authentication printing mode easily.